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How to choose a method

Before choosing an engagement method, it is helpful to think about purpose and people.

The choice of different methods for engaging the public with your work can sometimes feel overwhelming. If you take some time to think about your purpose and the people you want to involve this can help to narrow down your choices and ensure the method you choose will be most effective in achieving your aims.

Purpose

There are many possible reasons for engaging the public with your research, these can include:

Responding to societal needs or requests

Sharing what we do to inspire learning and sense-making

Creating knowledge together or doing research together

Applying knowledge together to innovate or collaborate

Learning from others

Changing attitudes or behaviour

Once you have identified your purpose, it’s time to think about who you will be engaging with.

People

Who you are planning to engage with should be a key determining factor when choosing your method, and it can help to be specific about who could or should be involved. People often talk about engaging with the general public, but who are the ‘general public’ and how can you ensure you engage with them effectively?

It can be helpful to break the public down into different types based on categories such as age, gender, ethnicity, location or interests. Examples of types of audience include:

Adults

Black and minority ethnic groups

Community groups

Family groups

Older people

Service users

Students

Underserved audiences

Young people

Techniques

Once you are clear about who you will be engaging with, and why you are engaging, the appropriate method will become clearer, and there is a wealth of guidance about which methods to choose on our website and elsewhere.